The document describes characteristics of slow learners and learning disabilities. Slow learners function below grade level, have poor social skills, struggle with multi-step tasks, live in the present, and learn slowly. Learning disabilities can affect language, sensory perception, executive functions, memory, reasoning, and spatial skills. The document provides tips for teaching slow learners such as emphasizing strengths, short lessons, hands-on work, and repetition.

4. Characteristics of slow
learners:
 1. Functions at ability but significantly below grade level.
 2. Is prone to immature interpersonal relationships.
 3. Has difficulty following multi-step directions.
 4. Lives in the present and does not have long range goals.
 5. Has few internal strategies (i.e. organizational skills,
difficulty transferring, and generalizing information.)

5.  6. Scores consistently low on achievement
tests.
 7. Works well with "hands-on" material
(i.e. labs, manipulative, activities.)
 8. Has a poor self-image.
 9. Works on all tasks slowly.
 10. Masters skills slowly; some skills may
not be mastered at all.

7.  · Emphasize strengths. Use lots of
praise and reinforcement frequently.
 · Make lessons short. Limit the
working time and have several short
work periods rather than one long
one.

8.  Add variety to the academic routine.
Do active things and use educational
games, puzzles, and other techniques
as much as possible.
 · Work on material that is somewhat
challenging but allows success.

9.  Work that is too hard or too easy is a
turn-off.
 Make learning fun and comfortable.
Your positive attitude is very
important.

10.  Ask what was the best part of his/her
day. Ask questions about the TV
shows he/she watches.
 Talk about what he/she has heard,
done, and plans to do. Communicate
with your students.

11. 
· Go over his/her daily work to reinforce
the learning. Slower learners need
repetition.
 · Provide meaningful, concrete activities
rather than abstract.

12. · Give short specific directions and have
your child repeat them back to you.
 · READ!
 Set an example by
reading yourself.

13. Stress the importance of education.
 · Encourage child to explore areas of
interest to him/her.
 Career opportunities often come from
these interests .

15.  Providea quiet place to
work, where the child can
be easily observed and
motivated.
 Keep homework sessions
short.

16.  Add a variety of tasks to the
learning even if not
assigned, such as painting a
picture of a reading
assignment.

17. · Teach how to use a calendar
to keep track of assignments.
· Read to the child.
· Be patient but consistent.
· Do not reward unfinished
tasks.

18. Allow for success.
 Ask questions about the
assignment while the
child is working.

20.  Have the child do the most difficult
assignments first and leave the easier ones
to later.
 Call it the dessert principle. Don’t be
overprotective.

21.  Students whose parents frequently
intercede at school are teaching that they
do not respect their child’s abilities.
 Sharing the child’s strengths and
weaknesses could make the school year
more beneficial for all concerned.

24. Learning disabilities is a general
term that refers
 toa heterogeneous group of
disorders manifested by
significant difficulties in the
acquisition and use of listening,
speaking, reading, writing,
reasoning, or mathematical skills.

25.  These disorders are intrinsic
to the individual, presumed
to be due to central nervous
system dysfunction, and
may occur across the life
span.

26.  Problems in self-regulatory
behaviors, social perception,
and social interaction may
exist with learning disabilities
but do not, by themselves,
constitute a learning disability.

28. Language-Based
Disabilities
 dyslexia (reading)
 dysgraphia (writing)
 dyscalculia (calculations and math facts)

29. language deficits
 difficulties
in articulation,
recalling expressive words,
elaborating similarities
 and differences, or identifying
and using appropriate verb
tenses

30. Sensory-Perceptual
Disabilities
 Visual (e.g., judging distance from
an object, visually determining the
difference between two objects,
 identifying figure against competing
background--including reading a line
of text in a book, copying information
from the board, etc.)

31. Auditory

e.g., detecting sounds over
background noise, processing
verbal instructions,
sequencing, fatigue from
listening to lecture material

32. Executive and Cognitive
Disabilities
 Attention deficits
 e.g., inability to
concentrate, remain on
task, budget time .

33. Memory deficits
e.g. inability to
engage in rote
memorization such as
facts, tables, dates, etc.

34.  Reasoning deficits
e.g., unorganized or non-logical
thinking, inability to properly
prioritize tasks, difficulty with
application of new material.

35. Spatial organizational
difficulties
 e.g.,
problems with compass
directions, right and left, up
and down, ahead and behind,
over and under, etc.